Oakdale High’s section championship pitcher named The Bee’s Softball Player of the Year

Raegen Everett entered her senior softball season at Oakdale High with something to prove.

Fresh off a successful summer travel ball season and with a commitment to UC Riverside in her back pocket, the only thing left was to step into her new role as the ace and leader of one of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s historic softball programs.

As a freshman, she played 17 games in a shortened spring season. Sophomore and junior years she played as a fielder and was the team’s No. 2 pitcher alongside her sister Delainey, the team’s ace.

But senior year, it was Raegen’s turn as the team’s No. 1 in the circle, and she took full advantage. She posted career highs in appearances (28), wins (19), innings pitched (155) and strikeouts (217). She proved to be one of the best in the section and the state. Raegen ended the season 25th in California and sixth in the section in wins. She was eighth in the section in strikeouts and her 1.26 earned run average was 15th in the section.

She went into the year with team goals (Valley Oak League and section titles) and an individual goal (league pitcher of the year), all of which she accomplished.

“I will never regret playing behind Delainey and seeing her compete. I loved being there for all of her success her junior and senior years,” Raegen said. “But when it became my shot my senior year, I felt like I had something to prove and I had to take on the role of being a team leader and solid pitcher.”

She was more than just a “solid pitcher.” Raegen had one of the best games of her career when her team needed it most, striking out 14 batters in an eighth-inning 3-2 win to secure the Division III section title over Capital Christian.

After winning league and section titles, having the best season of her career and being named the Valley Oak League Pitcher of the Year, Raegen Everett is The Bee’s Softball Player of the Year.

Though Raegen was more than 2,000 miles away from her older sister Delainey, a pitcher at Mississippi State, the two were just a phone call away. They kept tabs on each other’s seasons and offered support. Raegen said she also received advice.

“She’s like, ‘How’d you do? How many earned runs?’” Raegen said. “We care so much and it was never a competition. It’s just support. … She always tells me to play free (and) try to prove myself to everyone who says you’re not good enough. (She says) you work for yourself and let it all show on the field.”

Raegen said she also played basketball and soccer in her early athletic years, but when she got to high school, she cut out the other two and stayed on the diamond. She played in some big games during her career, but none bigger than the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship game against Capital Christian.

The Cougars were slated ahead of the Mustangs in nearly every Northern California ranking and held the No. 1 spot in the D-III bracket. Oakdale was the two-seed. Raegen battled with Ayla Tuua in a pitchers duel, leading the Mustangs to victory. She struck out 14 batters and on offense drove in a run as Oakdale took home its first blue banner since 2019 with a 3-2 victory.

“It almost feels like closure and the closing part of my senior softball season,” she said, reflecting on the section title. “Ending with a win is everything I’ve ever wanted with my team. It was the second-to-last time I would play with my girls. The feeling of gratitude and being so proud to be a part of that. We achieved exactly what we wanted to.”

Raegen now moves on to become a Highlander. She said her focus in picking a college was the softball program along with the academics. She will study human development and hopes to be an occupational therapist for children.

“I fell in love with my pitching coach (Cindy Bristow). She came and she was one of the coaches I talked to where I felt like she knew exactly how I was pitching,” Raegen said. “She just made me feel like I was seen. Like I’m meant to play for you. You want me, I want you type of thing. … I also couldn’t ask for a better academic school because I’m going to play softball but I’m also going to get my degree, and getting it from Riverside will set me up for my life.”

Raegen led the Mustangs to a co-VOL title, a section title and earned the program’s first-ever CIF Northern California Regional tournament appearance. Not bad for a senior season.

“After the sections game, we were just like, ‘We get to keep playing, this is crazy,’” she said. “Having a good enough season to play in NorCals is all we’ve ever worked for. All the girls and seniors wanted to go out strong … and that’s exactly what we did.”

Fan Vote Player of the Year

DESIRREI SORCI, JUNIOR, PATTERSON

The Patterson High softball team finished second in the Central California Conference this season, finishing 9-3 and winning the most league games since 2019. The Tigers got hot to end CCC play, winning seven of their last eight regular season games. In all eight of those games, the team’s ace, Desirrei Sorci, got the call. She answered the bell, setting a career-high in strikeouts in a 9-3 win over Buhach Colony with 12, then breaking it two days later, fanning 15 in a 2-1 win over Golden Valley.

Overall, it was a career year for the junior in her third varsity season. She finished with more than 10 strikeouts four times this season, earning three wins in those games. Sorci finished with career highs in ERA (3.24), wins (11), pitching appearances (19) and strikeouts (128). On offense, she hit .240 with 12 hits, 4 RBI and one double. She also scored five runs.

The Tigers made the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs for the first time since 2019. They took on the eventual Division III section champion Oakdale, falling 7-2. Patterson finished 13-8 overall, its first winning record since 2019, rebounding from a 1-3 start to the season.

The fans noticed Sorci’s career year, voting her The Bee’s Softball Fan Vote Player of the Year. She came in first in the poll, earning 39% of the more than 31,100 votes. She finished ahead of Samantha Nichols of Central Catholic and Presley Barnes of Oakdale, who came in second and third place, respectively.

2024 All-District Softball Team

FIRST TEAM

P: Kailey Estes – Gregori, Senior

P: Natalie Camarena – Enochs, Senior

P: Kharime Caratachea – Ripon, Senior

P: Ava Hernandez – Big Valley Christian, Senior

INF: Samantha Nichols – Central Catholic, Freshman

INF: Chloe Dias – Turlock, Senior

INF: Isabela Giraldes – Ceres, Senior

INF: Rylee Reeves – Pitman, Senior

INF: Ava Montesdeoca – Ceres, Junior

INF: Madi Bohannon – Oakdale, Junior

C: Madison Rosebrough – Pitman, Senior

C: Presley Barnes – Oakdale, Senior

OF: Kylee Huff – Gregori, Senior

OF: Alaina Calvo – Enochs, Senior

OF: Emori Machado – Central Catholic, Senior

OF: Jaycee Wilhmurst – Ripon, Senior

UTIL: Jazmarie Roberts – Central Catholic, Junior

UTIL: Cadence Campbell – Turlock, Junior

UTIL: Jaelyn Lee – Oakdale, Junior

SECOND TEAM

P: Alizae Cole – Ceres, Junior

P: Desirrei Sorci – Patterson, Junior

P: Hailey Starr – Orestimba, Sophomore

INF: Ella Underwood – Pitman, Senior

INF: Nevaeh Scheper – Gregori, Junior

INF: Chelsee Toon – Beyer, Junior

INF: Jamie Zarilla – Johansen, Senior

INF: Taryn Calderon – Central Catholic, Junior

INF: Kayla Ortiz – Patterson, Junior

INF: Briseis Tollison – Downey, Senior

INF: Miranda Temple – Central Catholic, Senior

C: Madelynn Flores – Downey, Senior

C: Hailey Bacon – Turlock, Senior

C: Madison Harrison – Central Catholic, Sophomore

OF: Morgan Merzon – Big Valley Christian, Junior

OF: Gabby Castro – Gregori, Senior

OF: Emry Couch – Central Catholic, Sophomore

OF: Violette Kent – Escalon, Senior

OF: Marley Leighton – Oakdale, Senior

UTIL: Madison Babasa – Escalon, Sophomore

UTIL: Jordyn Lish – Beyer, Junior

UTIL: Alana Hernandez – Ripon, Junior

HONORABLE MENTION

Beyer: Mackenzie Hough, Alanna Verges; Big Valley Christian: Cecily Fontana, Brynn MacWailliams, Kailey Rivera; Ceres: Elizabeth Figueroa, Kahaunani Sagapolu; Central Catholic: Carsyn Lomeli; Central Valley: Gabriela De La Torre, Jannet Valencia, Brooklyn Steeley; Davis: Kaliyanei Saykao; Downey: Lilian Parry, Yessenia Sandoval; Enochs: Kaylee Ruiz, Emma Zulawski; Escalon: Arianna Velasco, Shelby Wilder; Gregori: Arianna Aguirre, Mikayla Lancaster, Audrey Pacheco; Hilmar: Abby Blevins, Camryn Mattos, Demi Silva; Hughson: Summer Leshko, Kylie Tangney; Johansen: Bethany Albarran; Modesto: Ariana Arellano, Angelica Arellano; Oakdale: Jayci Volonte, Morgan Wright; Orestimba: Mariah Avila, Sophia Machado, Lexi Alves; Patterson: Haleigh Pearce, Jazmine Isom; Pitman: Neveah Russo; Ripon: Addison Naranjo, Izabelle Spurzem; Ripon Christian: Ally Brown, Kara Koolhaus; Riverbank: Mahalia Guzman, Maya Guzman; Turlock: Ayla Lacerda, Abby Maxwell

▪ How the teams were selected: The Bee’s All-District teams were picked through observation with an emphasis on coach nominations and team playoff success. Players not on these lists were not nominated.